Fulham boss Mark Hughes: No one's job is safe now!

Fulham boss Mark Hughes says that managers are never safe in the modern game

The past two weeks have seen Newcastle and Blackburn axe their bosses, despite both clubs being in mid-table in the Premier League.[>

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Avram Grant is on a rocky road at West Ham, who are at Craven Cottage today, while Hughes knows he, too, must start winning soon.[>

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Hughes was given the boot at Eastlands almost exactly a year ago when City were very much in the fight for a top-four spot – the target set by the club’s hierarchy.[>

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He said: “Listen, I got sacked when I was sixth. The logic of football sackings seems to have gone out of the game of late, and it doesn’t show any signs of changing.[>

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“Anybody at a football club could come under pressure, irrespective of how well or how badly you’re deemed to be performing.”[>

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Hughes, 47, had a warning for former side Blackburn after their dismissal of Sam Allardyce (right), saying it may be unrealistic for the club to break into the top five.[>

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“It’s possible but more difficult year on year because of the amount of money that’s coming into the Premier League and the number of clubs that are really investing,” said Hughes.[>

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“I got into sixth position one year at Blackburn and it was a massive effort by everybody, not just the team but the staff.[>

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“Everyone had to pull together really strongly to make it happen and we had a great season. The key is to try to sustain that. If owners are demanding that’s the norm, then it becomes even harder.”[>

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Hitting out at the sackings of Allardyce and Chris Hughton at Newcastle, he said: “It just seems to be more prevalent, that’s the unfortunate thing.[>

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“New owners come in and if you’re not appointed by them then very quickly you find your position under threat, by virtue of the fact that you weren’t appointed by the new ownership.[>

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“It’s frustrating and it feels unfair. I went through that. But Sam will bounce back. He’s got a great reputation.”[>

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Hughes may find himself under pressure if Fulham’s seven-match winless run doesn’t end soon. They are only outside the bottom three on goal difference.[>

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But Hughes is adamant he still has the confidence of his paymasters.[>

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“I think it’s a case of being at a club that understands where we are at this moment in time and the problems that we’ve got in terms of selection of key personnel,” said Hughes, who has been without several strikers for much of the season.[>

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He is at a loss to explain why Fulham have been unable to turn draws into wins. Arsenal have lost five league games – the same as the Cottagers – but they lie just two points behind leaders ­Manchester United, while Hughes’ men are outside the drop zone only on goal ­difference.[>

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Fulham have taken maximum points only twice in 17 matches. Their remaining ten games have all been draws, but many of these results have left Hughes ­scratching his head.[>

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“I don’t know where it’s come from,” Hughes added. “It’s never happened to me in my career before and it’s not as if we’re setting up negatively or trying to get people behind the ball and taking what we can out of games.[>

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“We’ve tried to be positive in every game and I think that’s to our credit. I think we’ve improved in that respect.”[>

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Fulham’s problems stem from their lack of firepower as a result of injuries to key forwards.[>

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Hughes said: “I think once we get that ­cutting edge and threat at the top end, which we will in the new year, a lot of the good things we’re doing will still be in place.[>

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“It’s been frustrating because we haven’t converted winning positions into winning performances but we’ll get there.”[>